L3 Choosing the right coursebooks and teaching materials

Question 1

the most important advantages of the coursebook

Answer 1

1.framework – Ts and SS know where they are and what is coming next because clear framework of the coursebook provides a sense of structure and progress
2. syllabus – if the coursebook serves as syllabus and it is followed systematically, balanced and carefully planned selection of the language content will be covered
3. ready-made texts and tasks – the appropriate level (for the most SS of the class) of the tasks and texts in the coursebook saves T’s time
4. economy – a book is cheaper than alternatives such as sets of photocopied papers or computer softwares equally providing learning material for each learner
5. convenience – because it is bound, its pages stay together in the order, it is light and small enough to carry, its shape provides easy packing and it does not depend on any hardware or electricity supply to be used
6. guidance – coursebooks provide supportive guidance for unexperienced Ts or Ts, who are occasionally unsure of their knowledge
7. autonomy – learner uses the coursebook to learn new material, review and monitor his/her progress with certain degree of autonomy, as the learner without coursebook is more teacher-dependent

Question 2

Textbook evaluation criteria

Answer 2

1. Goals of the course
   2. Background of the SS (age,native language,education,purpose for learning English)
   3. Approach (theory of learning, theory of language)
   4. Language skills (integrations of the 4 skills)
   5. General content (validity, authenticity, appropriateness and currency of topics, proficiency level)
   6. Quality of practice material (exercises, directions, active participation of SS, grammatical explanation – inductive or deductive?, review material)
   7. Sequencing (grammar, skills, situations, combination)
   8. Vocabulary (relevance, frequency, strategies for word analysis)
   9. General sociolinguistic factors (variety of English, cultural content)
   10. Format (size, binding, layout, editing, typesetting, phonetic symbols,index, headings…)
   11. Accompanying materials (workbook, tapes, CDs, video, posters, flash cards, a set of tests)
   12. Teacher’s Guide (methodological guidance, supplementary exercises, suitability for nonnative speaking T, answer keys)

Question 3

Visuals

Answer 3

 used in the language classrooms from the very beginning
 help the learner to see what s/he is being taught
 The most common visuals
 realia (real objects)
 pictures, posters, photographs
 illustrations in the coursebooks
 flashcards (smallish cards held up to the SS to see)
 wall pictures (big enough for everyone to see the details)
 cue cards (small cards used by students in pair or group work)
 teacher’s drawings on the blackboard

Question 4

The importance of VISUALS

Answer 4

 visuals are used to arouse interest and concentrate attention at the beginning of a lesson
 they elicit already known language, illustrate a new language item (e.g. vocabulary item)
 create a need for new language which the teacher then satisfies
 set the scene for a story or role-play
 stimulate discussion
 they illustrate meaning more directly and quickly than through verbal explanation since they cut down unnecessary teacher talking time

Question 5

Dictionaries

Answer 5

 Bilingual dictionaries – provide an instantly usable translation of a word into the mother tongue
are highly advantageous for learners at the beginning and are used mainly at lower levels
they fail to show students how words are used in the foreign language, providing just simple answers
** Monolingual dictionaries (MLDs) **– written especially for language learners.
definitions are written in a language which is itself simplified
give examples of the words in phrases and sentences so that SS get a very good idea of how they themselves can use this word
 Reference dictionaries – are the ones where a student looks up a word to see what meanings it has, how it is used, and the way it is spelt and pronounced. These dictionaries show differences between British and American usage, similar words, frequency in different media, levels of formality, connotation
 Production dictionaries – need to be distinguished from reference dictionaries. They are designed for students to use the other way round, starting with a meaning they wish to express and in order to look for the word that expresses it. In a production dictionary students look for a general word that they already know, and which is a bit like the concept they wish to be able to express in English.
 Different kinds of specialized dictionaries: picture or visual dictionaries, reverse dictionaries, phonetic dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, single-field dictionaries, etc.